Meet Results
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (Jan. 3, 2012)
– The Alaska women's swim team, ranked 15th in the nation, won all but one event en route to a comfortable 121-84 victory over Colorado Mesa University on Tuesday at Northern Arizona's Douglas J. Wall Aquatic Center.
The meet was conducted in a 50-meter pool, as opposed to the 25-yard facility the Nanooks race in at home.
“This is a new year and a new team,” head coach
Scott Lemley said. “With the dozen or so freshmen and a handful of upper classmen, we have what I believe is the best young team in the country. I hope we'll continue swimming well and show the country who we are.”
Sophomore
Bente Heller (Hamburg, Germany/Albrecht Thzer Gymnasium) and freshman
Gabi Summers (Cheyenne, Wyo./Central) led the way with two individual victories each and both were part of a winning relay effort.
Heller cruised to a win in the 50 freestyle with as she hit the wall in 27.46 seconds, a time that won the event by nearly three seconds. She later took the 100 free by almost six seconds with a time of 1:00.90. The sophomore was also part of Alaska's 400 medley relay squad that opened the meet with a win. The tandem, which consisted of freshmen
Margot Adams (Anchorage, Alaska/Frontier Charter),
Genevieve Johnson (Fresno, Calif./University) and
Danielle Lyons (Prince Albert, Saskatchewan/St. Mary's), easily won the race in 4:46.83.
Summers won the 200 free and 100 backstroke by comfortable margins. She took the free in 2:18, a time that was more than five seconds faster than the closest competitor, and later finished the back in 1:11.84, beating Mesa's top swimmers who have dominated the backstroke every time out this season. Summers, along with Adams, Lyons and freshman
Kendra Ashwell (Kenai, Alaska/Kenai Central) closed out the meet with a 20-second victory in the 400 free relay with a time of 4:15.67.
Other individual winners included sophomore
Ashley Crowe (Billings, Mont.), Lyons, Adams and Johnson.
Crowe won the 1,500 free in by a significant margin with a time of 19:24.22, while placing second in both the 100 butterfly and 400 free. Along with her two relay victories, Lyons rolled in the 200 individual medley with a mark of 2:34.27. Adams, also winner in both relays, placed first in the 100 fly with a time of 1:06.72. Johnson won the 100 breaststroke in 1:24.86, while finishing runner-up in the 200 IM, behind Lyons.
“Though we've been at altitude for about a week, our girls looked strong and fit,” Lemley said. “This is the fourth year we've trained in Flagstaff and this is by far the strongest and most focused team I've brought here. I believe this will set us up incredibly well for our conference meet in early February.”
